Wednesday, April 26, 2017

Wonder Woman comes out on June 2nd and, hopefully, it will be a success both critically and financially. I've enjoyed the DC films but they definitely need another movie in their repertoire that doesn't prove to be insanely divisive. Wonder Woman could be that hit as it has a lot going for it. Gal Gadot absolutely owned BvS as Wonder Woman and giving her a whole film to do her thing sounds like a pretty good idea. I'm also always a fan of the fictional history World War II era story lines presented in films like Captain America, The Rocketeer, and the Indiana Jones franchise, so Wonder Woman seems like it could capture the same feeling with a fresh take due to it's 's World War I setting. Today I'm looking at the first figure from Mattel's DC Comics Multiverse: Wonder Woman subset which features four standard figures, along with some upcoming exclusives. Today I'm looking at the main Wonder Woman figure from the line which is a bit odd as she's not a standard looking Wonder Woman (that appears to be a Toys 'r Us exclusive). Let's take a closer look at this figure after the break...

Accessories: Sword, lasso, and left arm and left leg of build-a-figure Ares.

Non-Scalper Price: $20

The Positives:

* The headsculpt on this new Wonder Woman is much improved over the BvS figure! The headsculpt on the BvS figure was the weak point in an otherwise incredible figure, but this headsculpt looks great and really resembles Gal Gadot quite nicely. She's wearing a hooded robe here, so her hair isn't very visible, but it's honestly a cool look for the character that adds something different to the small army of Wonder Woman figures I already own.

* While I debate Mattel's logic in making the hooded and robe wearing Wonder Woman a standard figure and saving the classic looking, most recognizable Wonder Woman as a retail exclusive, I do like the look of this figure. The robe is a separate piece (you could remove it, but the hood and sleeves would still be there) that fits nicely over the figure. The body is largely shared with the body from the BvS figure, which isn't a bad thing at all as that was a nice, detailed figure. The paintwork is a bit brighter here with some great metallic looking primary colors.

* Underneath Princess Diana's cloak is a harness that is different than the BvS harness. This one features both a loop to hold her sword (on her left) and loop with a working peg for her lasso (on her right). It's a pretty cool feature that she can carry around both accessories in a somewhat concealed manner. Honestly, I had this figure for a day or so before I realized the lasso was included and removable, so take note!

* Wonder Woman carries a different sword than she carried in BvS. This one has a cool hilt and appears to be a bit newer. The sword doesn't feel at all brittle; it's actually a pretty sturdy accessory and fits well in Diana's hands or in the belt loop.

* The Lasso of Truth isn't an incredible accessory, but I have to admit I love it's inclusion. For being Wonder Woman's signature item, it seems like toy makers always either neglect to include it or make it an non-removable part of the figure. This one at least comes off so Diana can carry it around and use it.

* Wonder Woman includes two pieces of this series' Collect & Connect figure Ares. She includes Ares left arm and left leg. This series only requires four figures to complete the larger BAF, which is a pretty nice deal (at least one of the exclusives includes an extra accessory for the build a figure). I'll review Ares in full soon, so consider this a sneak peek!

The Negatives:

* Honestly, the only real complaint I have about this figure is that the hard plastic robe really hinders Wonder Woman's articulation. This is a cool looking figure but there's just not a lot of great poses she can take. I would have loved to have seen an actual cloth robe with this figure, but that seems to be something Mattel is incredibly reluctant to do. As it stands, this figure is more of a displayer rather than a player.

You know what? I really like this figure. The accessories are cool, the headsculpt is pretty nice (especially for a mass market release), and the overall appearance is unique. She's not a perfect Wonder Woman figure, but I really do like her. Throw in the fact that you're getting a quarter of a build-a-figure in one go and this is a pretty sweet package. She's a Good and a 1/2 figure and probably worth picking up for Wonder Woman fans. While I still wish the main release had been the traditional outfit, this one is not bad at all.